AUGUSTA — A bipartisan panel that will redraw the line dividing Maine’s two congressional districts was nearly complete Tuesday as legislative leaders named their selections to the 15-member group.
A panel of federal judges has ordered the Legislature to reapportion Maine’s 1st and 2nd districts by Sept. 30 to reflect population changes in the 2010 census. If the Legislature fails to do so, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court will have until Nov. 15 to finish the reapportionment. If that deadline isn’t met, the job will be done by the federal court.
Legislative leaders have expressed their commitment to comply. They passed an order last week that formally sets in motion the redistricting process. The order sets an Aug. 31 deadline for the commission to submit its report.
“We will be active and willing participants in this short-term congressional redistricting in coming months,” Senate Minority Leader Barry Hobbins, D-Saco, said when the order was passed.
Hobbins and the House Democratic leader, Rep. Emily Cain of Orono, also expressed hope that majority Republicans will ensure Democratic involvement by requiring a two-thirds majority vote for the final reapportionment plan.
Maine’s 1st Congressional District includes the more densely populated southern coastal area, including the state’s largest city, Portland, while the 2nd District covers a much larger and rural area.
The 2010 census indicated that the population of the 1st District stood at 668,515 and the 2nd District had a population of 659,848. The judges found the districts no longer as equal in population as required by the Constitution.
The legislative order specifies the makeup of the commission:
• Three members each, appointed by the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House.
• Two members each, appointed by the parties’ Senate leaders.
• A Democrat and a Republican from the public.
• One member each, appointed by the state Democratic and Republican party chairs.
Finally, the two public members must agree on the 15th member, who will chair the commission.
On Tuesday, House Republicans announced the appointments of Reps. Les Fossel of Alna, Ken Fredette of Newport and Richard Cebra of Naples. House Democrats announced the appointments of Reps. John Martin of Eagle Lake, John Welsh of Rockport and Henry Beck of Waterville.
The Senate Republicans, announced Friday, are Debra Plowman of Hampden and Rodney Whittemore of Skowhegan. The Senate Democrats are Philip Bartlett II of Gorham and Seth Goodall of Richmond.
In addition, the Republican member from the public will be Josh Tardy of Newport, a former legislator. The Democratic public member is Cathy Newell, chairwoman of the Oxford County Democrats. Those appointments were also announced Tuesday.
Still to be determined are the selections by the state Democratic and Republican party chairs and the choice of commission chair.
No date has been set for a special legislative session to take up congressional reapportionment, but a mid-September session has been discussed.
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